Kemba Walker learned of MJ’s love of trash talk – in his draft workout

Boston’s Kemba Walker quickly learned of Michael Jordan’s love of trash talk – before he was even drafted by his organization.

If you thought Michael Jordan only trash-talked his opponents, you should probably take an afternoon to watch the recent ESPN documentary series “The Last Dance” to see how he berated teammates he felt weren’t giving their all.

Or, you could ask Boston Celtic starting point guard, who got a bit of a rude awakening after making the jump from the University of Connecticut to the NBA.

Even before joining Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets soon after the legend dove into the world of franchise ownership, the Bronx native realized the Chicago Bulls superstar hadn’t calmed much with age when it came to their sport of choice.

At his draft workout for Charlotte, MJ was present and already giving the former Husky a hard time.

“My first interaction with MJ was my draft workout here. I remember he was just sitting on the side,” began Walker via Sports Illustrated’s Matt Dollinger.

“I was nervous, but I knew I had to try my best to impress him—I think I did,” he added. “It was a really fun workout. All I remember was he was talking trash, which he usually does a lot. He was talking trash on the sideline, but it was fun.”

Talking trash might just be Jordan’s favorite pastime, if history is any judge. He’d do it before games, during and after — he even lit up Larry Bird years after he’d retired when the Bulls eliminated the Indiana Pacers squad Bird was coaching in the 1997 NBA Playoffs.

What did Walker do to become the object of His Airness’ ribbing?

“They put two balls on the floor and they were trying to have us palm the basketballs.

“And as I was going up he said, ‘Man, get out of here, you can’t palm the ball like that.’ I was like, ‘You’re right.’ I didn’t even try. [Laughs] I can’t palm it. But just stuff like that. He’s a good dude. He’s the best, man. Super down to earth. A really good guy to be around.”

One might suspect that the four-time All-Star might be blowing smoke given it was his boss he was speaking about at the time, but Walker has long been a vocal fan of the player many consider the greatest to play the game.

And he could have left well before he finally made the decision to decamp from Charlotte to join the Celtics in a return to his northeast roots.

Jordan is sometimes cast as a bully, and he may well be one in some circumstances.

But the support — even admiration — of the man doesn’t seem particularly diminished by those he ribbed the hardest, whether Scott Burrell, Steve Kerr, or even Kemba Walker.

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